Raquel

C'mon c'mon

by

DVD MOVIE DRAMA C'mon

A radio journalist embarks on a cross-country trip with his young nephew.

A film you will think about weeks after watching it. One of my new favorites. -Raquel

The school for good mothers : a novel

by Jessamine Chan

FICTION Chan, Jessamine

"Set in near-future America, The School for Good Mothers introduces readers to a government-run reform program where bad mothers are retrained using robot doll children with artificial intelligence. Protagonist Frida Liu, a 39-year-old Chinese-American single mother in Philadelphia, loses custody of her 18-month-old daughter, Harriet, after she leaves Harriet home alone for two hours on one very bad day. To regain custody, Frida must spend a year at a newly-created institution, where she practices parenting with bad mothers from all over the county. There, she learns to love an uncannily life-like toddler girl doll in order to demonstrate her maternal instincts and prove to her family court judge that she deserves a second chance. Frida is an outsider in every way: better educated, more affluent, and the only Asian. The mothers, whose transgressions range from benign to horrific, are under constant surveillance. If they don't pass all the school's tests, their parental rights will be terminated. Inspired by dystopian classics such as 1984, Never Let Me Go, and The Handmaid's Tale, the novel eviscerates the dominant American parenting culture, while highlighting the tragedy of state-sponsored family separation. Is there one right way to mother? Can a bad mother ever be redeemed? With warmth, heart, and dark humor, the novel tells a timeless story of a mother fighting to win back her child, and her struggle to hold onto her integrity while being indoctrinated"--

A book that is difficult to put down. I opened this up at every opportunity. Read while brushing my teeth? Sure. Read while feeding my baby? Yes. Read until I have to force myself to turn off the lights? Unfortunately, yes. -Raquel

Minino y la lluvia

by Meritxell Martí

j468.6 Marti

"Un día de tormenta es una buena ocasión para observar y maravillarse. Minino es un gato juguetón que mira el mundo con curiosidad. ¿Le acompañas? Un libro con mecanismos móviles que nos descubre la magia de los pequeños momentos."--elsotano.

Engaging board book for toddlers or.... anyone, really. Slide open the mechanisms to reveal a new picture on every page. There are four other books by Meritxell Martí similar to this one in our collection, which include: Minino y la luna Minino y las olas Buenas noches Buenos días Great for Spanish language speakers and Spanish language learners! -Raquel

Ordinary hazards : a novel

by Anna Bruno

FICTION Bruno Anna

"For fans of Celeste Ng and Claire Messud comes an impeccably paced and transfixing debut novel about how life's little decisions can ultimately yield the most powerful consequences. It's five pm on a Wednesday when Emma settles into her hometown bar with a motley crew of locals, all unaware that a series of decisions over the course of a single night is about to change their lives forever. As the evening unfolds, key details about Emma's history emerge, and the past comes bearing down on her like a freight train. Why has Emma, a powerhouse in the business world, ended up here? What is she running away from? And what is she willing to give up to recapture the love she once cherished? An exploration of contemporary love, guilt, and the place we call home.

Written by Anna Bruno, a graduate of the Iowa Writer's Workshop. This book can give you the chills, make you laugh, and make you cry. It's impossible not to picture the streets of Iowa City while reading. -Raquel

Otto : a palindrama

by Jon Agee

jGRAPHIC NOVEL Agee

"A graphic novel told entirely in palindromes about a young boy named Otto who goes on a strange and fantastical adventure while searching for his dog, Pip"--

Readers of all ages will enjoy this book for different reasons. Honestly, have never laughed so hard while reading. Jon Agee is a genius. -Raquel

A gift from Abuela

by Cecilia Ruiz

jE Ruiz

"The first time Abuela held Niña, her heart overflowed with tenderness. And as Niña grows up, she and Abuela have a lot of fun doing simple things. Abuela decides that she wants to buy Niña a special treat, so she saves a little bit of her money every week. But then something terrible happens, and Abuela's dream of a surprise for Niña seems impossible. Luckily, the time they spend together and the love they have for each other are the best gifts of all."--

A moving story about a grandmother and granddaughter moving through time and how their relationship changes, but the love remains. This story brought tears. Told in English with some Spanish words sprinkled in. -Raquel

Eleanor Oliphant is completely fine

by Gail Honeyman

FICTION Honeyman Gail

"Smart, warm, uplifting, the story of an out-of-the-ordinary heroine whose deadpan weirdness and unconscious wit make for an irresistible journey as she realizes the only way to survive is to open her heart. Meet Eleanor Oliphant: she struggles with appropriate social skills and tends to say exactly what she's thinking. That, combined with her unusual appearance (scarred cheek, tendency to wear the same clothes year in, year out), means that Eleanor has become a creature of habit (to say the least) and a bit of a loner. Nothing is missing in her carefully timetabled life of avoiding social interactions, where weekends are punctuated by frozen pizza, vodka, and phone chats with Mummy. But everything changes when Eleanor meets Raymond, the bumbling and deeply unhygienic IT guy from her office. When she and Raymond together save Sammy, an elderly gentleman who has fallen on the sidewalk, the three become the kind of friends who rescue each other from the lives of isolation they have each been living. And it is Raymond's big heart that will ultimately help Eleanor find the way to repair her own profoundly damaged one"--

Although interestingly dark at times, this novel has some extremely funny parts and also unexpected twists. -Raquel

The distance between us

by Reyna Grande

BIOGRAPHY Grande, Reyna

"At the age of 8, Reyna Grande made the dangerous and illegal trek across the border from Mexico to the United States, and discovered that the American Dream is much more complicated than it seemed."--Provided by publisher.

A story that should be heard more often than it is. -Raquel

Martita, I remember you = Martita, te recuerdo

by Sandra Cisneros

FICTION Cisneros Sandra

"An enchanting story about a writer remembering her short time in Paris and her reflections on friendships, relationships, and her younger self in a beautiful dual-language edition. Paris has long been romanticized as the city of light. A city with a vibrant literary and artistic expatriate community. Corina--nicknamed Puffina--is a young writer hoping to find that idealized community, but when her money runs out sooner than expected, she finds a network of artists simply trying to find work, make rent, and make Paris home. Years later, when a letter from her friend Martita resurfaces, Corina finds herself older and with enough distance to articulate her time in Paris. While Paris did not bring her the affirmation she was looking for as a writer, Corina finds an emotional connection to her friend that transcends space and time and demonstrates that we are most honest in our writing. Told with intimacy and tenderness, Martita, I Remember You is Sandra Cisneros at her best"--

Sandra Cisnero's new book resonated with me as I thought about how life used to be- before the pandemic and before kids. Brings back warm memories of friendship during a more carefree time of life. It left me feeling grateful for the strong bonds I created years ago. A short, sweet read that will be remembered- just as Martita was remembered. -Raquel

Sapiens : a brief history of humankind

by Yuval N Harari

599.938 /Harari

"One hundred thousand years ago, at least six different species of humans inhabited Earth. Yet today there is only one--homo sapiens. What happened to the others? And what may happen to us? Most books about the history of humanity pursue either a historical or a biological approach, but Dr. Yuval Noah Harari breaks the mold with this highly original book that begins about 70,000 years ago with the appearance of modern cognition."--

Incredibly interesting to go back in time. -Raquel

A carnival of snackery : diaries (2003-2020)

by David Sedaris

814.54 /Sedaris

In this follow-up to his previous volume of diaries, Theft by Finding, the award-winning humorist chronicles the years 2003-2020, charting the years of his rise to fame with his trademark misanthropic charm and wry wit.

Open David Sedaris' diary up to any page and read something worth your time. I loved carrying this one around with me and reading an entry or two any time I had a few minutes. Still laugh to myself when I think about some of them. -Raquel

Pingüino

by Polly Dunbar

j468.6/Dunbar

Added by Raquel

Ten Little Birds/ Diez pajaritos

by 123 Andres

j468.6/Ten

Added by Raquel